The Billionaire's Retribution

PROLOGUE 4 years ago, A young lady laid halfway unconscious on the wooden floor of her father’s apartment. Her long, blonde hair soaked in blood around her. She opened her eyes, barely seeing a thing. Her vision was blurry and her ears kept ringing from the gunshot earlier. She tried to lift up her head but her body wasn’t listening, her eyes caught the lifeless body of her father, his white church shirt soaked in his red blood, a hole in his stomach. She looked up and saw the silhouette of a man, backing her and facing the veranda. He was frantically trying to wipe the blood off his shirt with a dirty rag, he looked frustrated. He ripped off the shirt as he moved towards the sunlight and she managed to catch the long scissor shaped scar at the left hand corner of his back. It looked partially unhealed, like it was recently gotten. He grabbed one of her father’s shirts and hurriedly put it on. She couldn’t remember anything but the sound of the gunshot and the sound her head had made with the floor on impact when she was struck. She opened her mouth to speak, to ask why he had done this, who had sent him. But she could barely get a sound out. Her tired eyes slowly gave up and she blacked out again. CHAPTER 1 “A contract marriage?!” Addison asked, her eyes widening in shock as Logan handed some papers to her. “You heard me right. I need a wife to prove to the board that I’m stable as possible now, that there’s no more running around for me to ensure that my position is retained in this company”, Logan explained to his secretary. “It’s only for 15 months, Addison, we’ll simply live together as a married couple enough to deceive the public at least. After that, we’ll go our separate ways like it never happened and you’ll never have to worry about any financial matter ever again.” He was beaming as though he had just discovered a planet. Addison hissed, she wasn’t convinced. “You’re telling me that none of your numerous girlfriends can help you with this.” She asked. Logan smiled slyly at her, that sexy smile that made her so uncomfortable. “I just think you’re the perfect fit for this job” He shrugged. “I also need someone who is reliable and professional enough to effectively pull this off with no strings attached”. Addison could not take Logan seriously. She knew his position was at risk because of his notorious promiscuity, the board of directors had decided to dismiss him as a result of the horrible reputation it was giving the company. Obviously, marriage would suffice for the change of their minds but was Logan really prepared to go that far? She wondered. And was she to consider the idea of marriage. She had hardly ever thought that far, she assumed she had a lot of time before she would have to worry about such. It’s not as though she had ever fancied marriage. Now she had to consider a marriage contract. “I’m sorry, I can’t sign these papers” she said, dropping them on his desk. “Addison please. You could lose your job if I’m dismissed. Just think about it. You’ll be compensated handsomely for it. You can use the money to comfortably start up your…art show” Logan coerced. “Art gallery” She corrected, rolling her eyes. “Yes! That! One of the largest in London too” He exclaimed. Addison shook her head as she picked up her bag. “I’m flattered by your offer, honestly, but I can’t. I’m leaving. See you on Monday.” Logan held her hand. “At least think about it for a while. Don’t make the decision so hastily.” He said, before he let her go. She turned and left the office. She felt sorry for Logan, but her mind was already made up about it, there was really nothing to think about anymore. Addison hailed a cab to the restaurant at city end. She was meeting up with her sister today, it was the only form of ‘family’ meeting where she wouldn’t be grilled about settling down and getting a family so she was actually looking forward to it. She had said there was nothing to think about in Logan’s offer, so why was that all that crowded her mind as the cab drove? When she got to the restaurant, she saw her sister seated, drink in hand, looking pretty as usual, she marched up to her table. “Oh! Look who finally made it” Eva, her sister exclaimed. “Sorry, I got caught up with my boss regarding something.” Addison explained. “What was that about?” Eva pried. “Logan approached me with an offer” She was kind of relieved to have someone to talk to about this. “A marriage contract. It’s quite beneficial to the both of us though.” Eva’s eyes widened in amusement. “How beneficial are we talking about here?” Eva asked, her eyes sparkling. “Eva!” Eva loved money, she had gotten married at 20 to the first multi-millionaire she dated, had two kids for him then filed for a divorce, till date she still collects 6 figures monthly for child support. 2 years after her divorce, she got married to Jon, her current husband, another millionaire, whom she lives with in their multimillion-dollar penthouse upside of town. She was probably the most wrong person to seek advice on this issue from. “I didn’t check, but it’s a lot. That’s far from the point, Eva” Addison said. “So, what did you tell him?” She asked as the waiter came with the menu. “I told him no”, Addison replied and Eva spat out her drink. Addison rolled her eyes. “I just can’t do it. How can I pretend to be married to him simply for money?” “Do you know what your problem is, Addy? You’re afraid” Eva said as her face grew somber. “You shouldn’t let what happened years ago still affect you this way. I know it hurts but this might be an opportunity to move on from it now.” Addison couldn’t believe her ears. “What did you just say? ‘Move on’? You weren’t the one who was there to witness everything, that's why it's so easy for you to just forget all about him and build another life for yourself.” She argued, her voice raised in anger. “Addison, for Christ’s sake! Getting married doesn’t make you forget all about dad!” Eva shouted. “I just want you to let go of the pain and be happy, please. This is a great opportunity.” She was getting to Addison, Eva had that way to her. “I personally think there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain from this. This could be the beginning of a new life for you, and you never know what can grow from it.” Eva continued. “I can’t be happy while the memory of that day still exists, Eva.” Addison said as tears filled her eyes, memories of that night flashed through her mind. “I can’t go on with my life as though it never happened. It just doesn’t work that way. I’m not the same person I was 4 years ago, and I’ll never be again.” Addison stood up and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving Eva seated alone. She got home and flopped on her bed, and there she remained deep in thought. Eva wasn’t absolutely wrong tonight. The idea of getting over the incident was enticing but Addison feared her conscience. Was she really allowed to move past the death of her father, the once most important element in her life, that easily? The money wasn’t enough to change Addison’s mind but she knew what was. If she could find and capture the man who had done that to her father, it’ll be a done deal. Addison grabbed her phone and dialed a number. Dopamine rushed through her brain as she fantasized about all the ways she would make him pay for taking away the most important thing in her life. She should ruin him along with his entire family, his career, his life as it is. With Logan’s power and wealth, she could finally do it. Logan picked the call. “Addison…” “Keep the papers, I’ll sign them. But on one condition” She said.